We are happy to be back home! Em and I got home about 6 p.m. tonight after getting only 2 hours sleep last night.  We ministered until after midnight then it took us about an hour to get back to where we were staying.  

Last night I let Alex, who is the fiance’ of Em’s translator Merari, give the altar call. At least 7 or 8 people responded for salvation.  We then went out to pray for the people and there was no small number of healings, deliverances and slayings in the Spirit.  Our team was moving in the prophetic as well, especially blessing and encouraging the leaders. 

Here's a good story. Em and I were praying for the music team, 3 women.  When we got to the one in the middle, Emily said to her, "Aren't you the woman who gave the interpretation to the tongue the last time we were here?" The woman remembered, and then began to get very emotional. As we prayed for her she calmed down and then she began to speak in a tongue, and then gave the interpretation of the tongue, which was a word of encouragement for the church. She later told Emily through her translator that when Emily asked that question she heard her ears pop.

We also had the privilege of seeing a teen age girl who used to have thick glasses. Emily prayed for her to be healed 3 years ago and now we saw that she doesn't wear glasses anymore.   Jesus is awesome!

We also got to meet Elias.  Elias is 7 months old and is the first child borne to the assistant pastor's wife Gisenia.  One of the members of our prophetic team who visited their church in November 2008 prophesied that she would have a baby even though they had been trying without any success.  She told me that he even prophesied what season of the year the baby would be born.  She is a very happy lady!

Encouragement.  Hope.  Miracles of love.  What a blessing to be able to watch these miracles of love happen.  And then to realize that God has allowed us to be some of the catalyst for what happens... it blows me away.

Thanks to all of you who partner with us as team members, or hold down the fort while we go, or pray for us, or who contribute financially, or do whatever you can to help.  We are all a team, united in purpose, united in bringing the love of Jesus to the nations.

How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! ...For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore. from Ps. 133

 Ok, so Em and I got here at 5:15 a.m. and its midnight and I'm still awake,  I sent a pastor to pick up Fernando and Gardenia at the airport when they got here from Ecuador about 11 this morning.  Fernando shows up, says the taxi driver wasn't a pastor, wasn't even a Christian, but he now was!  So we hire this guy to take us out to minister tonight.  He shows up in his Toyota Corolla with his wife in the front seat.  After 15 minutes Fernando led her to the Lord too. The 4 of us sitting in the back seat for 1.5 hours fighting rush hour traffic was a bit much. Gardenia was on Fernando's lap and Em and I were twisted up like pretzels.   I told Emily that this trip to Peru was like that taxi ride:  uncomfortable but with good fruit.

This has been a long 2 years. It has been difficult to wait ... but now the time has arrived - Emily and I are going back to Ecuador!

It was a difficult decision to put the brakes on my travels 2 years ago.  Anyone who knows me knows how excited I get about these trips.  I had fallen in love with the city of Guayaquil and our friends there. It and they are incredible. You will never meet a group of people who are so giving, so loving, and so generous with their time and resources.

It's hard not to like these people.  They work hard for those they serve, believing that they are serving the Lord by doing so. "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." [Matt.25:40]

Apparently my love for the people and for the country of Ecuador is nothing compared to the great love God has for them.  We all know love is proved by her actions and God proves His love for them continually there. What a privilege it has been to see what God does for those He loves!  We have seen countless supernatural healings and visitations of all sorts.  We have seen Him rescue so many from so much ... it just thrills my heart.

Faith can be a very fragile thing.  I for one need a lot of encouragement to keep believing that God not only exists but "that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." [Heb.11:6 NIV]. These trips have built my faith so much, and the faith of many others.

So I have the privilege of going to Ecuador tomorrow with a great expectation in my heart. I really believe I am going to see what I have seen before:  God pouring out His love on His children with miracles of healing, encouragement, restoration, reconciliation and best of all, reconciliation with Him.

I can't wait to share these stories with you.  God willing I'll be able to report some from down there as they happen. Check us out at www.facebook.com/heartoftitus - I'll be posting there.

God bless you, thank you for praying for Emily, Paul Madison, myself and all of our Ecuadorian friends.